The move: The group has reached agreements to acquire stakes in four companies — Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech and Defcomm — expanding its presence across several segments of the underwater domain.
- Once completed, the new perimeter will include eight companies, around 1,500 professionals and operations in Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Arab Emirates.
- The largest deal concerns Next Geosolutions, active in seabed surveys, marine geoscience and offshore construction support. Fincantieri will initially acquire 52.6% of the company and then launch a public offer aimed at delisting it.
- The group will also acquire 51% of Graal Tech, which specialises in autonomous underwater vehicles, and 49% of Defcomm, focused on autonomous surface drones. In all cases, founders and senior management are expected to remain in place.
Why it matters: The expansion gives Fincantieri a more integrated underwater portfolio, combining vehicles, sensors, software, telecommunications and services for both defence and civilian use.
- That matters in a strategic environment where subsea infrastructure — from cables to energy assets — is increasingly exposed to geopolitical competition and security risks.
- Rather than concentrating only on platforms, the group is building capabilities across the full underwater value chain.
Strategic convergence. WSense is particularly significant in this regard. The company, a spin-off from Sapienza University of Rome, has developed wireless communication systems for the underwater environment, where traditional radio technologies cannot operate. Its networks use acoustic waves and optical systems to connect sensors, robots, actuators and operators below the surface.
- Fincantieri will initially acquire 61.95% of the vehicle into which the founders’ stakes will be transferred, with the participation set to rise to 75% of the vehicle within two years. The vehicle will control about 95% of WSense. The company will keep its structure and leadership, preserving its deep-tech identity while gaining industrial scale.
The bigger picture: The acquisitions are designed to accelerate the group’s industrial plan.
- Fincantieri expects the underwater segment to generate pro forma revenues of €1.1 billion and EBITDA of €220 million in 2026, with an additional contribution to group profit of more than €60 million. According to the company, that would bring forward by four years the targets originally set for the business in the 2026-2030 plan.
- The group now estimates underwater revenues could rise to €1.4 billion in 2028 and €1.8 billion in 2030.
What it signals: The message is clear, Fincantieri is expanding its historical role in submarines into a broader underwater ecosystem that includes robotics, seabed surveillance, communications and services for critical civil and military infrastructure. In strategic terms, it is a shift from shipbuilding alone to control over a domain that is becoming increasingly central to both security and industrial policy.
